The present invention relates to variable direction-of-view endoscopes (including devices such as borescopes, fiberscopes, etc.) and to variable direction-of-operation endoscopic tools used for viewing the inside of cavities and for performing other tasks within enclosed spaces.
Endoscopic instruments typically have a long primary axis along which they are inserted into the work or examination site. They also have a working vector that may or may not coincide with this primary axis. In the case of a viewing device, the working vector is generally defined as the view vector radiating from the distal end of the optical system and continuing through the center of the field of view. In the case of other endoscopic instruments, the working vector could be defined as the centerline of a gripper, the path of an emitted laser, etc., as appropriate to the given tool. Many of these instruments also have a rotational orientation about the working vector, examples of which are the rotation of the image viewed with an endoscope or the orientation of the plane of a two-jawed gripper.
Variable direction endoscopic instruments have an adjustable working vector. An example of such an instrument is a variable direction-of-view endoscope as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,577 to Forkner (1987), in WIPO publication WO 99/42028 by Hxc3x8eg et al. (1999), and in WIPO publication WO 01/22865 by Ramsbottom (2001). One of the biggest challenges for the user of such an endoscope or other variable direction endoscopic instrument is visualizing the working vector inside the structure being investigated. Because the tip of an endoscopic instrument is concealed during operation, the user cannot see its position and configuration relative to the surroundings, and such instruments generally do not have a good way of conveying tip configuration, direction, and orientation to the user and observers. In some cases round dials or indicator marks are used to show the position of a tool with respect to a certain axis, but these features fail to provide the user with a real sense of the working vector. A partial attempt to solve this problem was disclosed in WIPO publication WO 99/42028 by Hxc3x8eg et al. (1999) wherein a variable direction-of-view endoscope is provided with a proximal control knob marker which indicates the direction of the distal view vector. This solution is limited, however, in that it provides the user information about only the direction-of-view and not its orientation, and also fails to give the user a true feel for the actual working vector.
The endoscopes discussed above appear to have one degree of freedom. However, as specified in Haag at al, a primary mode of operation involves rotating the endoscope about its longitudinal axis to provide some control of the viewing direction. Because this rotation provides an additional degree of freedom for the view vector it is considered a second degree of freedom of the endoscope. An endoscopic system in which the view orientation may be changed has yet another degree of freedom.
Another type of endoscope capable of varying its viewing direction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,260 to Krauter at al. (1996). This design has a deflectable tip which is actuated by a pair of knobs at the proximal end of the instrument. The indicator marks on the knobs only provide a general estimate of the amount of bending in each plane. Users have difficulty determining the exact viewing angle and orientation of this type of endoscope.
Yet another class of endoscopes that is considered capable of varying their direction of view includes those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,634 to Igarashi (1998) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,306 to Kuban, et al. (1994). These devices provide a viewed area variably selected from within a wide-angle field. The user controls the viewing direction within the wide-angle field Through a joystick, keypad, or other similar input device. There is no facility disclosed communicating viewing direction or orientation to the user.
At best, prior art indication methods only accomplish the feedback function of indirectly conveying the endoscopic working direction and orientation back to the user. They do not provide a way for the user to intuitively control these parameters. Current control methods use knob or trigger mechanisms to manipulate the working vector and are limited in that they only allow the control of one degree of freedom per knob, prohibiting intuitive and integrated control of multiple degrees of freedom. Also, control mechanisms for endoscopic instruments have generally been designed to drive the instrument mechanics without regard for showing the user how the control input affects the configuration of the instrument.
From the discussion above, it should become apparent that there is a need for an integrated control mechanism and an integrated indicator mechanism that will provide intuitive and simultaneous control of multiple degrees of freedom of an endoscopic instrument, provide an effective representation of the direction and orientation of the working vector of an endoscopic instrument, provide an understanding of the spatial configuration of the instrument, provide a clear relationship between two or more distinct working configurations (a feature particularly useful in procedures where the user must shift between distinct directions), provide a clear physical representation of the working vector of the endoscopic instrument to observers (such as technicians, nurses, and assistant surgeons), provide a more comfortable user interface which does not necessarily have to coincide with the actual mechanics of the endoscopic instrument, and provide a consistent control scheme for multiple instruments.
In accordance with the present invention, a control and indicator apparatus for a variable direction-of-operation endoscopic instrument comprises a handle, a pointer, and a linking system connecting the handle to the endoscopic instrument. The handle affords the user intuitive and integrated control of the available degrees of freedom and the pointer conveys to the user the direction and orientation of the endoscopic working vector by shadowing its movement The control and indicator apparatus can be positioned off of the body of the endoscopic instrument or built directly thereon. The apparatus can be linked to the working vector through a mechanical or electromechanical system.
The term xe2x80x9cendoscopic instrumentxe2x80x9d as used herein is defined as an endoscope (used for medical procedures), any similar device such as a borescope, a fiberacope, etc. or any tool for performing tasks within the enclosed spaces viewed using these devices. The term xe2x80x9cworking vectorxe2x80x9d as used herein is defined on a viewing device as the view vector radiating from the distal end of the optical system and continuing through the center of the field of view or on a tool as the centerline of the gripper, the path of the emitted laser, etc., as appropriate to the given tool. The term xe2x80x9cworking orientationxe2x80x9d as used herein is defined on a. viewing device as the orientation of the output image, e.g. xe2x80x9cupxe2x80x9d as viewed on an output monitor, or on a tool as the rotational orientation about the working vector.
What is claimed is an apparatus for aiding in the interpretation of a working vector of a variable direction-of-operation endoscopic instrument comprising at least two degrees of freedom, said apparatus comprising a pointing means for indicating a direction, and a linking means for connecting said pointing means to said endoscopic instrument, wherein said direction of said pointing means is related to a working direction of said endoscopic instrument.